49ers vs Falcons Live Stream NFL Conference Championships 2013? For a second straight week, the Atlanta Falcons—playing at home as the top seed in the NFC playoffs—will be the underdog, this time against the San Francisco 49ers and red-hot quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the NFC Championship game.

Can the Falcons prove they've been disrespected during these playoffs and advance to the Super Bowl? Or will the balanced 49ers, capable of beating teams with a stingy defense or efficient offense, justify their status as favorites heading into this game?

This contest has a little bit of everything: star power, young quarterbacks trying to prove they can lead their teams to the Super Bowl, one of the league's best defenses against one of the best offenses. Let's take a closer look at this compelling matchup.

It's here, NFC fans. I'm still trying to process what Kaepernick did against Green Bay and I'm sure the Falcons are looking hard at that. They have to be worried, especially after what they put on tape against Seattle. They played a great first half, but Russell Wilson exploited them in the second half. They struggled with Cam Newton and the read option in the regular season. The Falcons allowed quarterbacks to run for a league-high 8.9 yards per attempt (excluding kneeldowns) this season. Kaepernick can do the read option, but the 49ers also can turn to Frank Gore in the traditional running game and they can throw the ball. That's a scary combination, and coordinator Mike Nolan is going to have to come up with an innovative game plan against the team he once coached.

Simulcast in primetime on FOX, Saturday night, should be a great night for fighting. Green Bay is eager to prove that both the first meeting and last year's early playoff exit were flukes, while San Francisco has a new offensive strategy spearheaded by the arrival of QB Colin Kaepernick as the starter over incumbent Alex Smith.

If you didn't think the the decision to switch to Kaepernick was the correct one, perhaps his 263 passing yards, 181 rushing yards and four total touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers changed your mind.

INTANGIBLES

When Kaepernick plays like he did last week, the 49ers are nearly unbeatable. His ability to run the ball has opened up a slew of new options for the running game, but he's still an accurate thrower with a big arm, so the passing game hasn't suffered, either. The biggest concern with Kaepernick is turnovers. He's thrown an interception in three of the Niners' last four games and has lost two fumbles on the season. It's not a